Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Louis

Say it LOO-ee 2 syllables

French · “loud; famous + battle”

Loved in France, Switzerland, Quebec, and Berlin. Common in England and Wales, the Netherlands, Austria, and 12 more places. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 7 more places.

1 in 264 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 49 there.

Louis in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 4, common in 15, rare in 10.
Louis in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales49 (up)20251,0301 in 264522020
Scotland83 (down)2025641 in 307742020
Northern Ireland126 (down)2025181 in 460932020
Ireland115 (down)2025481 in 494812020
North America
Ontario (province)130 (up)202499about 1 in 6051562019
Quebec (province)5 (up)2025471about 1 in 62132020
British Columbia (province)95 (up)202336about 1 in 3621772018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)552025136552020
Victoria (state)45 (down)2025136442020
Queensland (state)61 (down)202588522020
South Australia (state)37 (up)202538422020
New Zealand33 (up)202585512020
Western Europe
France520253,2651 in 9352020
Netherlands72 (up)2025196about 1 in 3391542020
Central Europe
Austria57 (up)20251401 in 272602020
Switzerland8 (up)20252291 in 15792020
Berlin (city)9 (up)2023122about 1 in 127192018
Munich (city)21 (up)202549about 1 in 89392020
Cologne (city)18 (up)202340about 1 in 159312018
Bonn (city)26 (up)202516about 1 in 198312020
Leipzig (city)39 (down)202512about 1 in 240312020
Rostock (city)69 (down)20253about 1 in 349172020
Nordic countries
Norway292 (down)2025131 in 1,7912242020
Sweden437 (down)202514about 1 in 3,0813512020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy367 (new in the list)2024321 in 5,917Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland280 (down)2025161 in 7,9002522020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Louis came to English from French, but its roots are Germanic. It goes back through Old French and Latin Ludovicus to a Frankish name made of words meaning 'loud; famous' and 'battle'. It is a double of the English Lewis and more distantly related to Ludwig, Luigi, Luis and Clovis.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, LOO-ee, and a soft, elegant sound. Louie is a friendly variant, and related forms include Lewis, Luis and Ludovic.

Louis is among the leading names in Quebec, France and Switzerland, and it also appears in the lists for New Zealand and South Australia. French records show a long history, with the name at its most common in the earliest years recorded, and its current trend is mixed, with rising and falling places roughly in balance.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
LOO-ee · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“loud; famous + battle”
Origin
French
Spellings counted
Counted together with Louis here: LOUIS.
Related names
Lewis, Louie, Luis, Loic, Ludovic, Ludwig, Ludvig, Ludwik, Ludvik, Luigi, Love, Ludovico, Lui, Rewi, Ludovicus, Lodewijk, Jean-Louis, Clovis, Loeiz, Loïck, Ljudevit, Lluís, Clóvis, Clodoveo
Where Louis comes from (Wiktionary)

From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”). Doublet of Lewis (which is inherited since the Middle Ages) and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Louis. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Louis over time

Rising in 5 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in France: 1925.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Louis in England and Wales: #61 in 1996, a peak of #38 in 2004, and #49 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #61, 1,100 boys1997: #54, 1,325 boys1998: #50, 1,433 boys1999: #49, 1,397 boys2000: #46, 1,516 boys2001: #39, 1,864 boys2002: #41, 1,721 boys2003: #41, 1,699 boys2004: #38, 1,976 boys2005: #43, 1,611 boys2006: #54, 1,350 boys2007: #60, 1,338 boys2008: #59, 1,205 boys2009: #66, 1,067 boys2010: #69, 957 boys2011: #68, 961 boys2012: #81, 815 boys2013: #77, 827 boys2014: #68, 999 boys2015: #78, 854 boys2016: #71, 911 boys2017: #82, 819 boys2018: #69, 941 boys2019: #53, 1,274 boys2020: #52, 1,186 boys2021: #50, 1,240 boys2022: #48, 1,184 boys2023: #45, 1,236 boys2024: #47, 1,092 boys2025: #49, 1,030 boys#61 in 1996peak #38, 2004#49in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996611,100
1997541,325
1998501,433
1999491,397
2000461,516
2001391,864
2002411,721
2003411,699
2004381,976
2005431,611
2006541,350
2007601,338
2008591,205
2009661,067
201069957
201168961
201281815
201377827
201468999
201578854
201671911
201782819
201869941
2019531,274
2020521,186
2021501,240
2022481,184
2023451,236
2024471,092
2025491,030

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Louis in France since 1925 were born in or after 1962. Peak: 1925, about 2,911 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 2,671.1 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 2,158.2 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 1,698.9 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1,166.4 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 706.6 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 460.5 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 301.1 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 202.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 129.9 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 86.8 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 85.1 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 104.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 171.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 385.6 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 847 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 1,100.7 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 1,168.2 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 1,254.3 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 1,203.9 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 1,061.1 per 100,000 boys20202025: 1,078.7 per 100,000 boys20251925-1929: about 1 in 37 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19292,671.1
1930–19342,158.2
1935–19391,698.9
1940–19441,166.4
1945–1949706.6
1950–1954460.5
1955–1959301.1
1960–1964202.8
1965–1969129.9
1970–197486.8
1975–197985.1
1980–1984104.2
1985–1989171.8
1990–1994385.6
1995–1999847
2000–20041,100.7
2005–20091,168.2
2010–20141,254.3
2015–20191,203.9
2020–20241,061.1
20251,078.7

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Louis

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Louis, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 130, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Austria

  4. 1 in 137, Scotland

  5. 1 in 126, Ireland

  6. 1 in 145, Ireland

  7. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 196, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 92, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 105, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Louis

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Louis's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 130, Scotland

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 137, Scotland

  6. 1 in 50, Ireland

  7. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Louis Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials L.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Louis

Sisters for Louis: Isabelle, Josephine, Sophie, and 5 more
  1. IsabelleRose and fell with Louis · Same generation as Louis
  2. JosephineRose and fell with Louis · Same generation as Louis
  3. SophieRose and fell with Louis · French, like Louis
  4. ElizabethRose and fell with Louis · Same generation as Louis
  5. FlorenceRose and fell with Louis · Same generation as Louis
  6. BeatriceRose and fell with Louis · Same generation as Louis
  7. ClaireRose and fell with Louis · French, like Louis
  8. GabrielleRose and fell with Louis · French, like Louis

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Louis

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Louis's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  2. Common in the Netherlands, Ontario, Austria, and 16 more places.

  3. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  4. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  5. Common across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, and 12 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 12 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  8. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

Famous people named Louis

Louis Pasteur, Louis XIV, and 6 more
  • Louis Pasteur 1822 to 1895

    French chemist and microbiologist

  • Louis XIV 1638 to 1715

    King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715

  • Louis Armstrong 1901 to 1971

    American jazz musician, trumpeter and singer

  • Louis XVI 1754 to 1793

    King of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1791, then King of the French from 1791 to 1792

  • Louis XV 1710 to 1774

    King of France and Navarre 1715 to 1774

  • Louis de Broglie 1892 to 1987

    Nobel laureate credited to pioneer the discovery of wave character of matter

  • Louis de Funès 1914 to 1983

    French actor and comedian

  • Louis-Ferdinand Céline 1894 to 1961

    French writer

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Louis

How popular is Louis in New Zealand?

Louis ranked #33 in New Zealand in 2025, given to 85 boys.

Is Louis rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 5 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: British Columbia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Munich, and Quebec.

What does Louis mean?

Louis means “loud; famous + battle”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Louis have?

Louis has 2 syllables: LOO-ee.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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